Guys and Balls (2004)

After their most recent loss, a soccer team discovers its goalie is gay and casts him out. He retaliates by bringing back an all-gay team for a game to prove who's better.

Director:

Sherry Hormann

Writer:

Benedikt Gollhardt

Stars:

Maximilian Brückner, Lisa Maria Potthoff, Dietmar Bär

3 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eileen Eilender	...	Susanne jung 1
Leon Breitenborn	...	Ecki jung 1
Dietmar Bär	...	Vater
Saskia Vester	...	Mutter
Anna Koesling	...	Susanne jung 2
Steven Wellmann	...	Ecki jung 2
Melody Sitta	...	Cordula jung
Jan Giffel	...	Udo jung
Maximilian Brückner	...	Ecki
Willi Thomczyk	...	Wirt
Jochen Stern	...	Rentner Rudi
Judith Hoersch	...	Cordula (as Judith Delphine Hoersch)
Carlo Ljubek	...	Udo
Mirko Lang	...	Tobias
Tobias van Dieken	...	Bernhard (as Tobias Vandieken)

Storyline

Fair-haired Ecki, the baker's son, has grown up the golden boy of his home town. All that changes the instant he and his soccer teammates discover he's gay. Now the object of scorn and ridicule (and finding himself unceremoniously kicked off his team), Ecki travels to the city of Dortmund to recruit an all-gay soccer team to return and prove to his town and his former soccer mates who the best men are. As first-time-out Ecki searches blindly through gay watering holes for players, his parents endure a rash of derisive gay jokes from the townies, leaving Ecki's gruff father to hope for a change in his son's orientation while also considering closing down the family business.

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Plot Keywords:

three word title | queer cinema | gay lead character | gay character | gay slur | 

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Taglines:

Jeder gibt sein bestes Stück. (Everyone gives his best part.)

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content, nudity and language

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Germany]

Country:

Germany

Language:

German English

Release Date:

7 October 2004 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Guys and Balls

Filming Locations:

Cologne, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,425, 30 April 2006

Gross USA:

$28,324

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$1,140,909

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen, FilmFernsehFonds Bayern, Filmförderungsanstalt (FFA)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

106 min 102 min (DVD)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital (35mm)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When the door of the lift opens to reveal Ecki and Sven kissing, Ecki is wearing a shirt, though he is previously seen to have removed it in the lift.

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Quotes

Udo: Send her over! It's about time she got tamed by a real man!
Ecki: So she can bite your other ear? At least you'd be symmetrical then, Spock!

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Crazy Credits

In the ending credits, each actor's name is placed on the soccer grid where his position was played in the movie.

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Connections

References Bend It Like Beckham (2002)

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Soundtracks

Sorry Sorry
Written by Robert Schwartzman
Performed by Rooney

User Reviews

Bend over Beckham

This moves pretty well through the various expected clichés: losing one's group identity while forging a new one, showing the group who kicked you out you're better than them, guys who cheat eventually lose, love conquers all.

Funny, too. All the usual stereotypes are presented, with the over-the-top characters being balanced by the more authentic core characters. Nice symbolic use of gold-toned lighting to highlight original innocence, once lost now returned.

The score is fun and well-paced. The ending is more Indie than expected and thus more satisfying.